This invention relates generally to handheld or tabletop game apparatuses and particularly to a portable game apparatus simulating racing or various other activities.
Simulated activity games and instructional devices are well known in the art and have been developed in a variety of forms. For many years, practitioners in the entertainment, game and educational arts have employed various types of apparatuses, which utilize a scrolling display to simulate movement. Initially, displays simulating movement were developed primarily in educational devices such as driving or flying simulators and were used to teach various types of driving or flying skills. A typical driving simulator utilized a driver seat, for the student, and which supported a simulated steering wheel, an accelerator pedal and brake pedal of the type used in vehicles. A large display screen was positioned in front of the driver""s seat and steering wheel. A projection system or other apparatus was employed to produce an image on the screen resembling the forward-looking view of the driver within a vehicle. Control apparatus operative in response to the steering wheel movements as well as user activation of the accelerator and brake pedals control the scrolling of the display. Thus, in a typical driving simulation, the image on the display is scrolled in response to movement of the steering wheel to depict side-to-side movement, and scrolled forwardly at speeds responsive to the accelerator and brake pedal activity. In a properly coordinated and controlled apparatus, the movement and scrolling as well as the rates of movement and scrolling are sufficiently accurate to impart a xe2x80x9cview from the driver""s seatxe2x80x9d for the student.
Practitioners in the game arts quickly realized the potential of movement simulators for providing driving and racing games. Prior to the development of scrolled display apparatus in driving simulators and the like, early driving and racing games were very basic and often employed a roadway or track printed on a scroll or endless belt. A mechanism was provided for moving the scroll or endless belt in order to move the xe2x80x9croadwayxe2x80x9d printed thereon. Typically, a miniature vehicle was supported upon the scroll or endless belt and a mechanism, such as a steering wheel or the like, was operatively connected to the vehicle to move the miniature vehicle side-to-side for a steering-like activity. The basic objective was to follow the road as it moved about on the moving scroll or endless belt. An example of such scroll or endless belt type driving game is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,270,306 issued to Klawitter which sets forth a toy driving simulator with brakes having a body in the form of a toy vehicle within which a selectively driven belt having a path or paths is movable. A miniature vehicle intended to be steered is connected such that it may be moved laterally with respect to the belt by manipulating a steering device. The path displaying surface of the belt and the miniature vehicle are viewable in a mirror which is generally but not necessarily in the form of an inside surface of a simulated windshield.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,459 issued to Wolf sets forth a racing game having movable terrain and a controlled vehicle having freedom in the vertical and horizontal planes. The movable terrain speeds are controlled by the operator and automatically reduced in response to predetermined improper operation. Obstacles are positioned on the terrain in the form of a belt, which are self-righting according to one embodiment. Other obstacles such as ramps, trees, etc. are permanently positioned upon the belt.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,346,398 issued to Nakahata, et al. sets forth a stationery game machine having a housing supporting an endless belt driven by a motor. The endless belt is positioned in a generally horizontal plane and depicts a roadway. A stationery vehicle is movable in response to user inputs and is moved side-to-side by steering wheel movements by the game player.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,936 issued to Kakizaki sets forth an apparatus having a small handheld housing supporting a movable endless belt upon which a roadway is depicted. The housing further supports a simulated steering wheel, which is coupled to a miniature vehicle, supported above the endless belt. As the endless belt moves, the roadway undulates and the user attempts to follow the roadway by manipulating the steering wheel. The toy vehicle is moved in response to manipulation of the steering wheel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,571 issued to Watanabe sets forth a portable obstacle toy having a housing supporting a small electric drive motor and a diverter transmission. An endless belt is mounted within the housing and is capable of being continuously moved or orbiting upon the mounting member in response to the motor drive. The endless belt includes at least one obstacle on its surface. An object member is slidably mounted on the base of the housing and includes an object attached to the object member and positioned near the surface of the endless belt. As a result, the object is able to slide transversely to the direction of travel of the endless belt to avoid obstacles on the surface thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,922 issued to Suda sets forth a toy for steering a simulated car in which cars are pictured on each of two transparent endless belts, which are moved by engagement with drums. A light source provides a light for indicating a collision when the pictured car is overlapped with the simulated car moved laterally with respect to the belt by the user in response to a simulated steering wheel.
With the development of effective display devices of the type used in driving simulators or other simulators of the like, practitioners in the game arts began employing video-based simulator games which were very similar to instructional devices. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,234 issued to Ishida, et al. sets forth a video game machine having a cockpit-like console supporting a steering wheel and other operative levers such as a gear shift and the like. The console includes a processor which produces output signals coupled to a television monitor or the like upon which a scrolling image is displayed. A toy vehicle is supported beneath the video display monitor and is movable laterally in response to control signals from the console. In combination, the user is able to manipulate the steering wheel, gearshift and other control apparatus on the console to produce corresponding movements of the toy vehicle laterally beneath the display screen and corresponding movements of the video image on the television monitor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,563 issued to Loper, III sets forth a shaker control device having a driving simulation game in which the user is able to operate a steering apparatus together with a brake and gas pedal to control simulated movement appearing on a video screen. In addition, a vibrating device is positioned within the steering apparatus to produce suitable vibrations simulating the vibrations encountered in the driving activity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,722 issued to Kite, et al. sets forth an electronic vehicle race simulator having a handheld unit supported by a pair of handle grips and having a plurality of display items on the front face thereof. The user is able to operate a gas or accelerator button together with a gearshift button. The game includes a motor sound device which produces engine sounds at various pitches indicative of engine RPM. A simulated staging light of the type employed in drag strip racing often referred to as a xe2x80x9cChristmas treexe2x80x9d is provided on the housing face.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 3,588,107 issued to Kupperman, et al. sets forth a vibrating tack racing game in which the racing panel is vibrated by a motor operating a rotatable member, which engages the racing panel.
While the foregoing described prior art devices have to some extent improved the art and have in some instances enjoyed commercial success, there remains nonetheless a continuing need in the art for evermore improved, interesting, amusing and cost effective simulation game apparatus. Moreover, the need exists to expand these improved simulation game apparatus to cover simulations and racing involving a variety of vehicles, including but not limited to cars, planes, jets, motorcycles both on and off road, boats, tractors, monster trucks, etc.
The present invention describes a portable simulation game apparatus that permits a user operating the game apparatus to move or control a three dimensional object that is supported by the game apparatus. The movement or current position of the three dimensional object is sensed by a plurality of sensors and transmitted to a circuit board or a control means. The control means may then relate the movement or position of the three dimensional object to pre-programmed images displayed on a display means in front of the three dimensional object. Typically, the pre-programmed images being displayed represent a race or a track for which the three dimensional object, being a vehicle, may interact therewith. To move the three dimensional object, the user tilts or moves the game apparatus in a specific direction the user wants the object to move. For example, if the object is a car and the user wants to move the car to the left side of the game apparatus, the user tilts the apparatus to the left.
In addition, various user inputs permits the user to increase or decrease the rate in which the pre-programmed images are scrolled across the screen, providing the user with a visual indication that the three dimensional object is traveling faster or slower. If the three dimensional object includes wheels the object may also be placed on a plurality of rollers. The rollers are rotatably controlled by the control means and a motor means for which the rate of rotation is controlled by the user inputs. As such, when the user increases the scroll rate of the preprogrammed images, the speed of the rollers and thus the wheels will also increase.
Various embodiments illustrate the three dimensional object being either a land, air or water vehicle. However, it will be readily shown that the three dimensional object may be any other type of three dimensional object.
In another embodiment of the present invention the three dimensional object may be moved by increasing the speed of the rollers, which would subsequently cause the front end of the object to rise, simulating drag racing. In yet another embodiment of the present invention the three dimensional object may be moved by levers; and in yet another embodiment of the present invention the three dimensional object may be tilted forwards and backwards as well as to the left and right, simulating the pitch and roll in an air vehicle.